Grace Mugabe’s political ambitions are believed to be the reason behind the army’s decision to stage a coup. Photograph: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters
Grace Mugabe made the claim during a surprise press conference her husband gave at the couple’s Harare mansion this week.
‘It was me who urged him to resign’
“Baba (father) did not want to put pen to paper, in fact it was me who urged him to resign for the sake of peace because Baba did not want to,” Grace Mugabe said, in comments carried by the private NewsDay.
Mugabe confirmed his wife’s role in helping to persuade him. “Under the circumstances I didn’t want to step down because I felt it was not proper and I insisted that everything was done unconstitutionally,” the 94-year-old said.
‘Anarchy and bloodshed’
He said he was willing to face impeachment proceedings by MPs from his party and the main opposition but his wife had convinced him that “the process would take long and in between, the country could plunge into anarchy and bloodshed.”
Mugabe told reporters that last November’s takeover was a “military coup” – a phrase his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa has done everything to avoid.
Mnangagwa’s office has shrugged off the criticism, insisting on Friday that while Mugabe was free to express himself the country had “moved on”.
Post published in: Featured
Nonsense. It was equally you Grace who had all these years urged him to stay on for the love of power and money for the comfort of your family. Arent you the one who used to shout there is no vacancy? Arent you the one who said he would be President even on a wheel chair? You urged him to resign only because you saw guns blazing all over the place and now you want credit for that? Go to hell!
Grace and her husband are so shameless. They now want us to believe that Mugabe resigned in order to avoid bloodshed. What bloodshed when all the people of Zimbabwe were united across the political and racial divide that Mugabe must go. Wasnt it Grace who was saying Mugabe will rule from heroes acre. What nonsense they are saying. If it was bloodshed it was going to be bloodshed at the Blue Roof the Gaddafi way. Mugabe and his wife have not learnt anything as seen in what they continue to say. They think Zimbabweans are toddlers who can be made to believe anything they say. What utter rubbish coming from the main occupants of the Blue Roof. Theatre of the Absurd, AS SHAKESPEARE would put it.
mugabe,s exit was long overdue but he and mnangagwa are cut from the same cloth.its suffer continue.